[BOYXBOY] Dragon Prince Steals My Heart In Another World?!

Shopping With the Prince?!

Large groups of people always had a certain air to them, one Andrew never cared to breathe. Going to the mall hadn't been too bad when he used to do that, but that was only because he got what he wanted and got right back out. And the stores he shopped at didn't often have that many people in them in the first place.

In Aldoun, no building had less than ten people in it. The tall buildings and winding streets brimmed with lively groups, all of which paid little mind to the fact that their prince walked among them with some guy in his pajamas.

"Weren't these guys all about being around you when I showed up? I swear I remember them practically hanging off of you." Andrew kept his hands shoved in his pockets, though Elias had looped their arms together to avoid getting separated.

"That was a day meant for that," the prince hummed. They passed a group of men gathered around a fruit stand, and at the most, they gave Elias a nod and smile. "The people of Aldoun are very important to me, and I have always done whatever I can to be seen as one of them. I only allow one day a year for them to see me purely as their prince. Other than that, I am just another one of the people. It allows me to see what they need in a ruler."

Andrew raised a brow at him. "Why aren't you the king yet, anyway? Is your mom not wanting to retire, or is Prince just the name you like best? If you spent all this time and money on this place, I guess it would make sense for you to go by whatever name you liked better."

Elias looked away from him, huffing out the words, "That's complicated," almost too quickly for Andrew to hear. "The shop with clothes that will work for you is just up ahead."

That was the first time Elias didn't explain something away to Andrew. Maybe it was a sore spot that he'd have to dig into when he finally got frustrated enough with Elias' make-believe world. People couldn't hold the truth in when they were pressed on sore topics, so eventually he would have to do that to get answers and a way home.

Until then, he didn't mind playing along and followed Elias into the shop without asking any more about it.

"Welcome, Prince Elias." The shopkeeper had a low voice and spoke so slowly that Andrew could already tell he was going to hate it there. However, he did notice that the man also had horns on his head, and dusty-colored wings on his back. So far, Elias and his mother were the only people he had seen with dragon costumes on. Did it depend on the person's level of effort they wanted to put in? Or maybe there were rules about who could and couldn't also play the part of a dragon. The guy did have much smaller horns, so it being a status thing would make sense.

Andrew would have to ask about that later.

"What brings you in today?"

"My guest, Andrew, needs some clothes for his time here. I think if you could find a fabric closest to the one he's wearing, that would be for the best." Elias unhooked their arms, stepping away to look at one of the many shelves with folded clothing on it.

All the clothing there looked the same to him, though it was sorted by color and fabric type, making the place look like a flattened rainbow.

"Let me see here." The shopkeeper reached out and grabbed Andrew's jacket and shirt, earning a grimace from him. "This is a strange type of clothing. The material is familiar, but I've never seen anything sewn like this."

"Andrew is from a very faraway place, they make things differently there," Elias answered for him. "But I'm sure he wouldn't mind something more like the things you make."

The shopkeeper let go of Andrew's jacket, placing his hand on his chubby chin. "You wouldn't mind if maybe I examined the piece of clothing to make my own version, would you? You can get whatever clothes you want from here today, then I will also send you a box of this top back with a few others like it in different fabrics and colors."